8 Acres to clear...... Smart or crazy

[gabeancounter]

I think the loader man is playing you.A 953 loader runs $85 a hour around here. Dump truck is $60 an hour. Two days they could clear that house and clear the land. $2k tops. Get some more numbers. Ask how many hours they think to clear etc.

At $100 an hour he is says it will take 100 hours to clear?

 

[ecoslik]

The comment about leaving a "tall stump" to push on is excellent. You should definitely search TBN for posts about clearing land, stump removal, etc. In fact, the compact grapple video on Everything Attachments adds to the knowledge base plus there are lots of videos on Youtube.

I highly recommend hiring dozers when it is called for, but it sure sounds like what you want to do can be done easily enough with a tractor.

Buy the tractor and do it yourself would be my vote.

I am beginner with some background around construction, bought a tractor this summer for our place, and love doing these things myself. Do not be surprised how much skill and technique there is to learn in using a tractor, FEL, and box blade to clear and shape land. I prefer to read up on TBN, find some videos, and then get to it on my own tractor. It helps to have patience and practice and a willingness to mess it up a little before getting it right. :laughing:

 

[milkman636]

Anything the tractor with the bicket or grapple/root rake can't budge will stay............. I've found a Kubota L5240 HST 4x4 (2008 - 400 hours) with quick detach loader that I'm really leaning towards right now.

Start with the small stuff, and work your way up to the bigger stuff. Once the undergrowth is out of the way just stand back and look at different areas. You'll be able to see what you have and selectively clear the areas that you want. I started out with a spary can trying to mark trees to clear for a new barn and drive way, and ended up selectively clearing four acres and really opening things up nicely to the sun and summer breezes. It was a lot of good not-so-clean fun.

After you have that little piece all prettied up you'll be looking for more jobs for that tractor. Driving it around alot will help to keep the growth from coming back, but you may find your L5240 is a little big for your needs if you don't have anything else lined up for its potential after you clear those 8-12 acres.

 

[R_Walter]

Use the money to buy a bigger place with more land instead of the 5240. You don't need that big a tractor for... what.... 12 acres?

 

[JoeinTX]

Oh, the caveats.....

#1-As noted prior, a tractor isn't a dozer and shouldn't be used like one. You will tear it up.

#2-From your pics, and also previously stated, if you're looking to start with the small stuff and work your way up (in conjunction with some chainsaw time) then starting with a tractor/shredder/loader similar to what you're describing will probably be fine. Whittle around on the minor stuff until you get to a point where you know you'll definitely need heavy machinery and then get people to bid on the more clearly defined jobs.

#3-An L5240 is probably more than you need to maintain 12 acres of pasture cutting. But, to get things started it might be better and quite often the phrase "wish I'd gotten a bigger tractor to start with" has been uttered around this place. Unless you're also going to worry about mowing the lawn with it and working around tight spaces or cleaning stalls with it you'll probably be fine and have plenty of tractor for anything you need.

#4-I'm assuming the house is an entirely different question from that of cleaning up the 12 acres. Someone who knows what they're doing and has the means to do so needs to handle that.

 

[andyz171]

Here are some updates from recent work. As you might remember you could not even see the house from across the street before 3 weeks ago. I'm learning that slow and steady will win this race, when I get in a hurry things go bad.... It's not a dozer.

 

[hobie]

I am in the midst of some reclaiming work on a family property. It is only a little over 3 acres, but has become quite overgrown. Luckily I have the support of 2 out of 4 brothers, and one did all the tree work so far. Looks like you are doing well with your project! I like the " slow and steady" approach. I don't have much choice, but it will give you more time to see what you have, and make decisions. Looks like you are off to a great start. Brian

 

[Western]

Slow steady and methodical is the way to go.

The only time I get in a "jiffy", is when the wife starts looking at her watch and the fish start biting!

 

[Gary Fowler]

Looks like you got your tractor and root rake with grapple. You shouldnt have much trouble with all the scrub brush with what you have and a heavy bush hog. Looks like you have made a good start. You will be surprised at what a bush hog can shred up when you push it over with your tractor FEL and hit it with the hog. Small shredded trees make good soil compost. Clear it with the bush hog and then work on the rest if need be with chainsaw or backhoe as needed to remove. When you get all the tractor will take out, you may decide that the rest looks good enough to keep.

 

[Soundguy]

great progress!

soundguy